Starter device for a continuous casting plant

ABSTRACT

AN ARTICULATED STARTER BAR TRAIN IS ADAPTED TO BE JOINED TO THE LEADING END OF A CONTINUOUSLY CAST INGOT. A FIRST ROLLER BED COMPRISES ROTATABLE ROLLERS ADAPTED TO SUPPORT THE STARTER BAR TRAIN AND THE CONTINUOUS CASTING. A SECOND ROLLER BED IS DISPOSED BELOW THE FIRST ROLLER BED. DEFLECTING MEANS ARE PROVIDED TO DEFLECT THE STARTER BAR TRAIN FROM THE FIRST ROLLER BED ONTO THE SECOND ROLLER BED.

P 20, 1971 o. KLEINHAGAUER 3,605,866

STARTER DEVICE FOR A CONTINUOUS CASTING PLANT Filed Feb. 10, 1969 United States Patent O 3,605,866 STARTER DEVICE FOR A CONTINUOUS CASTING PLANT Otmar Kleinhagauer, Kapfenberg, Austria, assignor to Gebr. Bohler & Co. Aktiengesellschaft, Vienna, Austria Filed Feb. 10, 1969, Ser. No. 797,872 Claims priority, application Austria, Feb. 12, 1968, A 1,271/ 68 Int. Cl. B22d 11/08 U.S. Cl. 164-274 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An articulated starter bar train is adapted to be joined to the leading end of a continuously cast ingot. A first roller bed comprises rotatable rollers adapted to support the starter bar train and the continuous casting. A second roller bed is disposed below the first roller bed. Deflecting means are provided to deflect the starter bar train from the first roller bed onto the second roller bed.

This invention relates to a starter device in plants for the continuous casting of metals, particularly steels. In these plants the resulting continuous castings lie on rotatable rollers forming a roller bed, and the starter device takes the form of an articulated starter bar train.

In arcuate-path casting plants, wherein the continuous casting which emerges in an approximately vertical direction from the mold is deflected into the horizontal direction with the aid of rotatable backing rollers adjacent to the secondary cooling zone, it is known to provide an articulated, chain-like starter bar train, having a starter head to which is joined the subsequent continuous casting, e.g., by anchoring means. When in the starting operation the starter bar train has passed between the backing rollers and the driven conveyor rollers, the starter bar train must be severed from the continuous casting and must be removed from the roller bed on whose rollers it rests. In the prior art plants, this severing of the starter bar train was most difficult and time-consuming in many cases owing to the relatively heavy weight of the starter bar train and the flexibility and long length of it.

In a preferred embodiment of the starter device according to the invention, at least in that zone in which the starter bar train is deflected onto the lower roller bed, the spacing of the two rollers of the upper roller bed on either side of the point of deflection exceeds the chain pitch of the starter bar train, and the free space between the second of these rollers and the lower roller bed exceeds the thickness of the starter bar.

In another embodiment of the starter device according to the invention, the upper roller bed comprises a rollercarrying part, which is pivotally movable downwardly, preferably with the aid of a piston cylinder arrangement to which hydraulic or pneumatic pressure can be applied and the pivotal axis of this part lies near its forward end, viewed in the direction of movement of the continuous casting. The roller-carrying part enables a downward deflection of articulated starter bar train.

Further details of the starter device according to the invention will become apparent from the subsequent description of the preferred embodiment which is shown diagrammatically and by way of example in elevation on the drawing.

During the starting operation, the starter head 3 initially contacts the underside of the mold with the face 3' of the starter head which is remote from the chain links. The starter head 3 is associated with the starter bar train 1. The mold, not shown, is vertical and cooled with liquid. Liquid steel is poured into the mold and is so intensely cooled that it solidifies near the starter head and is firmly ice joined to the anchoring means provided on the starter head. The rotatable conveyor rollers 6 and 7 of the plant are then started. Only a portion of these rollers are shown. As a result, the articulated chain like starter bar train 1 and the continuous casting which has been joined thereto are pulled between the rotatable backing rollers and the driven conveyor rollers. The backing rollers are positioned adjacent the secondary cooling zone substantially on two quadrants. The conveyor rollers are positioned before the backing rollers in the direction of movement of the continuous casting. Because the spacing a of the two rollers 6 and 8 of the upper roller bed 5 greatly exceeds the chain pitch t of the starter bar train 1; and the distance b between the roller 8 and the lower roller bed 10 exceeds the thickness s of the starter bar train 1. The starter bar train is then deflected onto the lower roller bed 10, which is made of rotatable rollers 11. Between the last two driven conveyor rollers 6, 7 and driven conveyor rollers disposed before driven conveyor rollers 6, 7, in a direction of movement of the continuous casting (these driven conveyor rollers are not shown), the socalled crop end 4 of the continuously cast ingot connected to the starter head 3 is severed from the remainder of the continuous casting, e.g., with the aid of a cutting torch. Alternatively, the starter bar train could be severed from the starter head. As soon as the starter bar train 1, the starter head 3 and the crop end 4 are entirely disposed on the lower roller bed 10, the part 12 of the lower roller bed 10, which portion is also provided with rotatable rollers 11, is swung down with the aid of a piston 14, to which hydraulic or pneumatic pressure is applied in cylinder 13. The piston 14, to which hydraulic or pneumatic pressure can be applied in the cylinder 13, is connected to a piston rod 15, which at its end remote from the piston is articulatedly connected to the movable portion 12. The cylinder 13 is articulatedly connected to the floor 16. The pivotal axis 12' of movable portion 12 is disposed at the rear thereof as viewed in the direction of movement of the continuous casting. As a result of the above-mentioned downward pivotal movement of this movable portion 12, the crop end 4 is moved below the supporting plane of the upper roller bed 5 and the continuous casting can move on the roller bed 5 without obstruction. The lower roller bed 10 has a considerable downward inclination, e.g., an angle on of about 4, in the direction of movement of the continuous casting so that the starter bar train 1 can easily be moved on the lower roller bed 10. That region into which the starter bar train 1 is deflected onto the lower roller bed lies directly behind the last two driven conveyor rollers 6 and 7 between which the starter bar train 1 and the continuous casting pass. Owing to this fact and the pivoted mounting of movable portion 12, the present starter device has an extremely small overall length. When the casting operation has been terminated, the starter bar train 1 can easily be moved back, e.g., with the aid of a cable and a winch, between the two driven conveyor rollers 6 and 7 and can then be driven back to the mold with the aid of these driven conveyor rollers and the other conveyor rollers, not shown.

I claim:

1. A starter device for a continuous metal casting plant comprising in combination:

(A) a starter bar train comprising an articulated chain assembly including a plurality of elements coupled together in series one with the other, one end of said starter bar train having a starter head adapted to be joined to the continuously cast metal;

(B) a first roller bed for movably supporting said starter bar train and adapted to movably support said continuously cast metal; the distance between at least two of the rollers being greater than the articulated length of any one of said chain assembly elements;

(C) a second roller bed positioned below said first roller bed and comprising a lower roller bed for storing said starter bar train and a movable portion for guiding said starter bar train from said first roller bed between said at least two rollers onto said lower roller bed, said movable portion being pivoted about a pivot axis transverse to said lower roller bed by actuating means, said pivot axis being located at the downstream end of said movable portion relative to the direction of starter bar train Withdrawal movement.

2. The starter device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said actuating means for moving said movable portion about its pivot axis is a fluid-operable piston cylinder device which operates in a substantially vertical direction.

3. The starter device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the plane defined by said lower roller bed is at an angle of References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Hess 164274 Michelson 164274 Greenberger 164274 Michelson 164274X Rokop et al. 164-274 J. SPENCER OVERHOLSER, Primary Examiner J E. ROETHEL, Assistant Examiner 

